Text editing assistor

ABSTRACT

A text editing assistor comprises a table storing section storing a candidate table, a candidate displaying section, a character sequence finalization section, an environment information acquisition section, a determination section, and a first updating section. The candidate displaying section displays at least one prospective character sequence in response to a character sequence which is input by the user. The character sequence finalization section allows the user to select one of the at least one prospective character sequence displayed by the candidate displaying section as a final character sequence. The environment information acquisition section acquires environment information. When a final character sequence is selected by means of the character sequence finalization section, the determination section determines whether or not to update the candidate table based on the environment information. The first updating section updates the candidate table only when the determination section determines that the candidate table is to be updated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a text editing assistor, andmore particularly to a text editing assistor which displays aprospective character sequence based on a character sequence which isinput by a user.

[0003] 2. Description of the Background Art

[0004] The rapid prevalence of cellular phone-based e-mail services inrecent years has resulted in much increased opportunities for users toinput text via key operations. Under such circumstances, variousproposals have been made for realizing text editing assistors whichenhance the efficiency and ease of text input operations performed bythe user. Behind such needs is the fact that written Japanese consistsof different sets of alphabets (hiragana, katakana, etc.), with whichfurther types of characters (Chinese characters, or the Englishalphabet) may be mixedly used. Furthermore, when a Japanese sentence istyped on a keyboard (as in the case of a computer), it is commonplace toemploy the English alphabet system (known as Romaji) to firstphonetically type up the Japanese sentence as heard to obtain an inputcharacter sequence spelt in hiragana, and then convert portions of theinput character sequence to other types of characters such as katakanaor Chinese characters. Throughout the present specification, suchconversion will be referred to as “finalization”, and the entiresequence obtained after the finalization will be referred to as a “finalcharacter sequence”. Note, however, that a final character sequence isnot irrevocably “final”, but maybe subjected to further editing by theuser, e.g., deletion and/or addition.

[0005] A typical example of conventional techniques for enhancing theefficiency and ease of text input operations is presenting prospectivecharacter sequences based on a character sequence which is input by auser. For example, for a given character sequence which is input by theuser (composed of hiragana, katakana, or the English alphabet (Romaji)),a text editing assistor may present to the user a list of “conversioncandidates” (i.e., words or fractions of words as spelt in Chinesecharacters), the list being presented in an estimated order offrequency. On the other hand, for a given character sequence which isinput by the user (e.g., a character sequence “oha”), a text editingassistor may predict the rest of the word and present the result of theprediction as a “prediction candidate” (e.g., “ohayo”, or ‘goodmorning’). Hereinafter, more specific instances of such techniques willbe described.

[0006] One specific example is a technique of presenting to the user acurtailed list of candidates, from which unlikely or impossiblecandidates are omitted. In this technique, automatic predictions aremade in the middle of the user's inputting operation of a charactersequence. Then, based on consistency with any previously-finalizedsequence of Chinese characters, hiragana, and/or katakana, or userinstructions as to which conversion candidates are adopted or dismissed,a curtailed list of candidates from which unnecessary prospectivecharacter sequences are omitted is presented to the user. Thus, theburden of the user's input operations is reduced.

[0007] Another specific example is a technique in which prospectivecharacter sequences to be presented to the user are “learned” based oninput character sequences and finalized character sequences (finalcharacter sequences). According to this technique, a prospectivecharacter sequence which is selected as a final character sequence for agiven input character sequence will be presented as a most prospectivecharacter sequence the next time the same character sequence is input. Afurther modification to a text editing assistor having such a learningfunction is a technique in which, if a once-finalized character sequenceis corrected, the correction is reflected in the learning. Thistechnique works in such a manner that, if a user has inadvertentlyselected the wrong final character sequence, this wrong final charactersequence is prevented from being presented as the most prospectivecharacter sequence.

[0008] The purpose of using a text editing assistor, or the environmentin which it is used, may vary. For example, the same user may use a textediting assistor to write a text for business purposes or use it in amore private situation. Since the frequency which a given charactersequence is used varies depending on the purpose and/or environmentassociated with the text editing assistor, the character sequence to bepresented as the most prospective character sequence should also varydepending on the purpose and/or environment associated with the textediting assistor. For example, a sentence like “to whom it may concern”is often used in business situations, and therefore, it would beconvenient if such a sentence is presented as a prediction candidatewhen the user has input a character sequence “to”. On the other hand,such a sentence is less often used in private situations, so that it maydetract from the user's convenience if the above sentence is presentedas a prediction candidate in private situations.

[0009] As described above, prospective character sequence which arepresented on a conventional text editing assistor do not reflect thepurpose or state for/in which the text editing assistor is used. Inother words, a conventional text editing assistor will always presentthe same prospective character sequence in response to a given inputsequence, irrespective of the purpose or state. Therefore, depending onthe purpose for which the text editing assistor is used, the function ofpresenting prospective character sequences may not provide muchconvenience to the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide atext editing assistor which is capable of presenting a prospectivecharacter sequence that is suitable to the purpose for which the textediting assistor is used.

[0011] The present invention has the following features to attain theobject mentioned above. A first aspect of the present invention isdirected to a text editing assistor for displaying a prospectivecharacter sequence based on a character sequence which is input by auser. The text editing assistor comprises a table storing section, acandidate displaying section, a character sequence finalization section,an environment information acquisition section, a determination section,and a first updating section. The table storing section stores acandidate table which associates one or more prospective charactersequences with a given character sequence. The candidate displayingsection displays, in response to a character sequence which is input bythe user, at least one prospective character sequence which isassociated by the candidate table with the character sequence which hasbeen input by the user. The character sequence finalization sectionallows the user to select one of the at least one prospective charactersequence displayed by the candidate displaying section as a finalcharacter sequence. The environment information acquisition sectionacquires environment information concerning the text editing assistor oran environment thereof. When a final character sequence is selected bymeans of the character sequence finalization section, the determinationsection determines whether or not to update the candidate table based onthe environment information. The first updating section updates thecandidate table based on an association between the final charactersequence selected by means of the character sequence finalizationsection and the character sequence which has been input by the user, theupdate being made only when the determination section determines thatthe candidate table is to be updated.

[0012] A second aspect of the present invention is directed to a textediting assistor for displaying a prospective character sequence basedon a character sequence which is input by a user. The text editingassistor comprises a table storing section, an environment informationacquisition section, a table determination section, a candidatedisplaying section, a character sequence finalization section, and afirst updating section. The table storing section stores a plurality ofcandidate tables each of which associates one or more prospectivecharacter sequences with a given character sequence, each candidatetable containing a different set of such associations. The environmentinformation acquisition section acquires environment informationconcerning the document editing assistor or an environment thereof. Thetable determination section determines one of the plurality of candidatetables stored in the table storing section based on the environmentinformation acquired by the environment information acquisition section.The candidate displaying section displays, in response to a charactersequence which is input by the user, at least one prospective charactersequence which is associated by the candidate table determined by thetable determination section with the character sequence which has beeninput by the user. The character sequence finalization section allowsthe user to select one of the at least one prospective charactersequence displayed by the candidate displaying section as a finalcharacter sequence. The first updating section updates the candidatetable determined by the table determination section based on anassociation between the final character sequence selected by means ofthe character sequence finalization section and the character sequencewhich has been input by the user.

[0013] As the environment information, the environment informationacquisition section may acquire: information indicating a current time;information indicating a current position of the document editingassistor; information indicating a type of application which accepts aninputting of a character sequence; or information indicating a state ofan application which accepts an inputting of a character sequence.

[0014] The text editing assistor may further comprise an input acceptingsection and a second updating section. The input accepting sectionaccepts at least two kinds of input methods for inputting a selection ofa final character sequence by means of the character sequencefinalization section. The second updating section is operable to updatethe candidate table based on the association between the final charactersequence selected by means of the character sequence finalizationsection and the character sequence which has been input by the user whenthe input accepting section accepts a selection of the final charactersequence by the first input method, and not update the candidate tablewhen the input accepting section accepts a selection of the finalcharacter sequence by a second input method which is different from thefirst input method.

[0015] The text editing assistor may further comprise: a designationsection for allowing the user to designate an association between acharacter sequence and a prospective character sequence in the candidatetable, and a deletion section for deleting from the candidate table theassociation between the character sequence and the prospective charactersequence designated by means of the designation section.

[0016] The candidate table may associate a plurality of prospectivecharacter sequences, in an order of being displayed by the candidatedisplaying section, with a given character sequence. In this case, thetext editing assistor further comprises a changing section for changingthe order of the prospective character sequences associated by thecandidate table with the given character sequence.

[0017] The present invention can be implemented as a program. Byrecording such a program on a recording medium, it becomes possible topractice the present invention on a separate computer system.

[0018] Thus, according to the first aspect, whether or not to performlearning (i.e., updating of the candidate table) can be determined basedon environment information. Therefore, updating of the candidate tableis performed only when updating is determined as necessary in light ofthe environment concerning the text editing assistor itself. In otherwords, according to the present invention, it is possible to presentprospective character sequences which are suitable for the purpose forwhich the text editing assistor is used.

[0019] Thus, according to the second aspect, the candidate table to beused for presenting prospective character sequences is switcheddepending on the environment information. As a result, candidate tableswhich are adapted to as many different environments as there arecandidate tables can be generated. In other words, according to thepresent aspect, it is possible to present prospective charactersequences which are suitable for the purpose for which the text editingassistor is used. Since different candidate tables are used depending onthe purpose for which the user uses the text editing assistor, itbecomes possible to vary the prospective character sequences to bepresented.

[0020] These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of thepresent invention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of the present invention when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware structure of atext editing assistor according to Embodiment 1 of the presentinvention;

[0022]FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating the text editingassistor according to Embodiment 1;

[0023]FIG. 3 shows an exemplary candidate table stored in a tablestoring section 102;

[0024]FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary image displayed bythe text editing assistor according to Embodiment 1;

[0025]FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processes performedby the text editing assistor according to Embodiment 1;

[0026]FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary image displayed whenthe processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 are performed;

[0027]FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary image displayed whenthe processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 are performed;

[0028]FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary image displayed whenthe processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 are performed;

[0029]FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary image displayed whenthe processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 are performed;

[0030]FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processes performedduring an editing of the content of a candidate table;

[0031]FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary image displayedwhen the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10 are performed;

[0032]FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary image displayedwhen the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10 are performed;

[0033]FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary image displayedwhen the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10 are performed;

[0034]FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram illustrating the textediting assistor according to Embodiment 2;

[0035]FIG. 15 shows an exemplary second candidate table stored in atable storing section 202;

[0036]FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processes performedby the text editing assistor according to Embodiment 2;

[0037]FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary image ofprospective character sequences displayed in the case where the firstcandidate table is used;

[0038]FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary image ofprospective character sequences displayed in the case where the secondcandidate table is used; and

[0039]FIG. 19 shows an exemplary candidate table which associates inputcharacter sequences and prediction candidate character sequences.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0040] (Embodiment 1)

[0041]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware structure of atext editing assistor according to Embodiment 1 of the presentinvention. In FIG. 1, the text editing assistor comprises a centralprocessing unit (CPU) 1, an input section 2, an output section 3, astorage section 4, and a transmission/reception device 7. These elementsare interconnected via a system bus 8. The text editing assistor shownin FIG. 1 may be implemented as, for example, a cellular phone or a PDA(Personal Digital Assistant). However, the text editing assistor mayalso be implemented as a desk-top type personal computer, instead of amobile terminal.

[0042] The CPU 1 executes a predetermined program, which is stored inthe storage section 4, to perform the program processes (describedlater). The input section 2, which may be composed of a keyboard,buttons, a mouse, a microphone, or the like, accepts text orinstructions which are input by a user. The output section 3, which maybe composed of a display device (e.g., a computer display) and/or anaudio output device (e.g., a loudspeaker), functions to display imagesor output audio representing the data which is output from the CPU 1.The storage section 4, which may be composed of a RAM 5, a ROM 6, or thelike, is used for the predetermined program processes performed by theCPU 1, and also for storing a candidate table (described later) andoptionally a dictionary table. The storage section 4 may comprise a harddisk or any recording medium which is removable from the text editingassistor, e.g., a CD-ROM. The transmission/reception device 7 performsdata communications with an external device (not shown) in wirelessfashion or via a transmission path. The CPU 1 performs data exchangewith the external device by means of the transmission/reception device7.

[0043]FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating the text editingassistor according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the text editingassistor comprises a character sequence conversion section 101, a tablestoring section 102, a text editing section 103, a determination section104, and an environment information acquisition section 105. The tablestoring section 102 is implemented by the RAM 5 shown in FIG. 1. Theother elements shown in FIG. 2 are implemented as predetermined programs(described later with reference to FIG. 5) performed by the CPU 1 shownin FIG. 1.

[0044] The text editing section 103 accepts text input operations by theuser, and causes the display device of the output section 3 to display ascreen on which to allow the user to input text. Specifically, when theinput section 2 is operated by the user, the text editing section 103receives input information representing the operation performed by theuser from the input section 2. Furthermore, based on the inputinformation, the text editing section 103 generates a charactersequence, and causes the display device of the output section 3 todisplay the generated character sequence. Thus, the character sequencewhich has been input by the user is displayed. The character sequencewhich has been input by the user is referred to as an “input charactersequence”. The input character sequence is typically a charactersequence composed of hiragana, katakana, and/or the English alphabet(Romaji). The input character sequence which has been generated by thetext editing section 103 is passed to the character sequence conversionsection 110. The input character sequence is displayed on the displaydevice.

[0045] The text editing section 103 also causes the display device ofthe output section 3 to display prospective character sequences which isreceived from the character sequence conversion section 101. As usedherein, a “prospective character sequence” is a notion encompassing botha conversion candidate character sequence and a prediction candidatecharacter sequence. A “conversion candidate character sequence” is acharacter sequence composed of Chinese characters corresponding to aninput character sequence. For example, conversion character sequences “

(a)”, “

(a)”, “

(a)”, and the like correspond to the input character sequence “

(a)”. Note that the present specification assumes that a “charactersequence” may be composed of a single character, or contain a pluralityof characters. A “prediction candidate character sequence” is acharacter sequence that begins with the input character sequence.Examples of prediction candidate character sequences corresponding tothe input character sequence “

(ai)” are character sequences such as “

) (aisatsu)” and “

) (aida)”. In Embodiment 1, it is assumed that the prospective charactersequences are conversion candidate character sequences.

[0046] After displaying the conversion candidate character sequence, thetext editing section 103 waits for the user's operation of selecting afinal character sequence. Specifically, the user employs the inputsection 2 to select a desired character sequence among those displayedas conversion candidate character sequences. The conversion candidatecharacter sequence which has been thus selected by the user is the finalcharacter sequence. The selection of the final character sequence marksaccomplishment of the inputting of the text. The text editing section103 passes the final character sequence to the character sequenceconversion section 101.

[0047] Other than that, the text editing section 103 displays an imageon which to perform editing of the candidate table (described later), orawaits user's instructions. Furthermore, the text editing section 103instructs the determination section 104 whether or not to performlearning (i.e., updating of the candidate table), in accordance with theuser's instruction.

[0048] The character sequence conversion section 101 receives from thetext editing section 103 the character sequence which has been input bythe user (input character sequence). From within the candidate tablestored in the table storing section 102, the character sequenceconversion section 101 retrieves, if any, a prospective charactersequence corresponding to the input character sequence received from thetext editing section 103. As used herein, the “candidate table” is atable which associates input character sequences with prospectivecharacter sequences. The candidate table is used, when an inputcharacter sequence is provided, to provide corresponding prospectivecharacter sequences as conversion candidates. If any prospectivecharacter sequence is found within the candidate table as a result ofthe search, the character sequence conversion section 101 passes theprospective character sequence(s) in the candidate table to the textediting section 103.

[0049] Upon receiving the final character sequence from the text editingsection 103, the character sequence conversion section 101 inquires tothe determination section 104 as to whether or not to perform learning,i.e., whether or not to update the candidate table. If the result of theinquiry indicates that learning is to be performed, the candidate tableis updated based on the correspondence between the received finalcharacter sequence and the input character sequence. Furthermore, in thecase where editing of the candidate table is to be performed by the textediting section 103, the character sequence conversion section 101updates the content of the candidate table in accordance withinstructions from the text editing section 103.

[0050] The table storing section 102 stores the candidate table. FIG. 3shows an exemplary candidate table stored in a table storing section102. As shown in FIG. 3, in the candidate table, input charactersequences are associated with prospective character sequences. Theexample shown in FIG. 3 assumes that the prospective character sequencesare conversion candidate character sequences. It will be seen that oneor more prospective character sequences are associated with each inputcharacter sequence. The prospective character sequences are assignedwith numbers indicating the order in which they are to be displayed ascandidates. For example, for the input character sequence “

(a)”, character sequences “

(a)”, “

(a)”, and “

(a)” are associated as the first, second, and third prospectivecharacter sequences, respectively.

[0051]FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary image displayed bythe text editing assistor according to Embodiment 1, in the case wherethe content of the candidate table is as shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 4, adisplayed screen 401 includes an editing area 402 in which theaccomplished text and the input character sequence are displayed, and acandidate area 403 in which prospective character sequences aredisplayed. Also shown in the candidate area 403 is a cursor 404 which isused to select a final character sequence. If the prospective charactersequences corresponding to the input character sequence “

(a)” are as shown in FIG. 3, these prospective character sequences areto be shown in the candidate area 403 in the order of “

(a)”, “

(a)”, and “

(a)” from the top, as shown in FIG. 4. By default, the cursor 404 isshown at the first prospective character sequence “

(a)”. Thus, it is preferable to give the earliest number to theprospective character sequence which is most likely to be selected asfinal character sequence, so that the first prospective charactersequence “

(a)” can be immediately designated when the user selects a finalcharacter sequence from among the prospective character sequence.Therefore, in the learning process of the candidate table according toEmbodiment 1, the candidate table is updated so that a prospectivecharacter sequence that was most recently selected as a final charactersequence comes in the first place.

[0052] The determination section 104 determines whether or not to updatethe candidate table when the final character sequence is selected.Specifically, having received the final character sequence from the textediting section 103, the character sequence conversion section 101inquires to the determination section 104 as to whether or not toperform learning. In response to this inquiry, the determination section104 determines whether or not to update the candidate table. Thisdetermination is to be made based on environment information which isacquired by the environment information acquisition section 105. Rulesfor making determinations on the basis of the environment informationare previously set in the determination section 104. In Embodiment 1, amode indicating whether or not to perform learning is set in the textediting assistor: a learning mode (i.e., learning is to be performed) ora non-learning mode (i.e., learning is not to be performed). Thedetermination section 104 sets either the learning mode or thenon-learning mode based on the result of the above determination.

[0053] The environment information acquisition section 105 acquiresenvironment information concerning an environment which the text editingassistor is in. As used herein, “environment information” is a notionencompassing, for example, time information indicating a current time,position information indicating a current position of the text editingassistor, application information indicating an application which isbeing executed in the text editing assistor to handle text editing, andstate information indicating a state of the application which handlestext editing. The environment information acquisition section 105 passesthe acquired environment information to the determination section 104.The method of acquiring the environment information may compriseacquiring environment information within the device itself through theuse of a GPS or timer means, or externally acquiring environmentinformation by utilizing a Bluetooth™ or infrared-based communicationsfunction or a wireless LAN-based communications function.

[0054] In accordance with the structure described above with referenceto FIG. 2, the text editing assistor according to Embodiment 1 is ableto determine whether or not to perform learning (i.e., updating of thecandidate table) based on the environment information. As a result, thetext editing assistor updates the candidate table only when updating isdetermined as necessary in light of the environment concerning the textediting assistor itself.

[0055] Next, a flow of processes performed by the text editing assistoraccording to Embodiment 1 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchartillustrating a flow of processes performed by the text editing assistoraccording to Embodiment 1. A program for causing the CPU 1 to performthe processes shown in FIG. 5 is stored in the ROM 6 of the text editingassistor.

[0056] The flow of processes shown in FIG. 5 may begin in response to,for example, activation of an application which handles text editing, orturning-on of the power of the text editing assistor. First, a mode isset in step S1. Specifically, the text editing section 103 instructs thedetermination section 104 to set a mode. Having received thisinstruction from the text editing section 103, the determination section104 instructs the environment information acquisition section 105 toacquire environment information. In response to the instruction from thedetermination section 104, the environment information acquisitionsection 105 acquires environment information, and passes it to thedetermination section 104. Based on the environment information receivedfrom the environment information acquisition section 105, thedetermination section 104 determines whether or not to update thecandidate table, and either a learning mode or a non-learning mode isset accordingly. At the time when step S1 is performed, a screen onwhich to allow the user to input text (see FIG. 4) is displayed on theoutput section 3.

[0057] Next, at step S2, the text editing section 103 causes the inputcharacter sequence to be displayed on the output section 3.Specifically, the text editing section 103 generates an input charactersequence based on the text input operations which were performed after aprevious run of step S2 and before the current run of step S2, andcauses the output section 3 to display the generated input charactersequence. The generated input character sequence is passed to thecharacter sequence conversion section 101.

[0058] Next to step S2, at step S3, the character sequence conversionsection 101 searches for pairs consisting of the input charactersequence received from the text editing section 103 and prospectivecharacter sequences corresponding thereto. At step S4, based on thesearch result, the character sequence conversion section 101 determineswhether there exists any prospective character sequence corresponding tothe input character sequence received from the text editing section 103.

[0059] If step S4 finds that there exists any prospective charactersequence that corresponds to the input character sequence (step S4;YES), the process of step S5 is performed. At step S5, the charactersequence conversion section 101 passes the prospective charactersequence(s) acquired from the candidate table in the table storingsection 102 to the text editing section 103. The text editing section103 causes the output section 3 to display the received prospectivecharacter sequence(s). On the other hand, if step S4 finds that noprospective character sequence exists that corresponds to the inputcharacter sequence (S4; NO), the process of step S5 is skipped, and theprocess of step S6 is performed instead.

[0060] At step S6, the text editing section 103 determines whether thetext input has been finalized. Specifically, the text editing section103 first waits for the user's operation of selecting a final charactersequence. If such a selection operation is made, the text editingsection 103 determines that the text inputting has been finalized. Atthis time, the text editing section 103 passes the final charactersequence to the character sequence conversion section 101. Thereafter,the process of step S7 is performed. On the other hand, if no suchselection operation is made, but a further inputting of a charactersequence is made instead, the text editing section 103 determines thatthe text inputting has not been finalized yet, and the process of stepS2 is again performed.

[0061] At step S7, the character sequence conversion section 101determines whether or not to perform learning. This determination ismade based on the mode which was set in step S1. In other words, thecharacter sequence conversion section 101 determines that learning is tobe performed if the learning mode has been set, and determines thatlearning is not to be performed if the non-learning mode has been set.

[0062] If step S7 finds that learning is not to be performed (S7; NO),control returns to step S2; in this case, no change is made to thecandidate table. On the other hand, if step S7 finds that learning is tobe performed (S7; YES), the character sequence conversion section 101updates the candidate table in accordance with the correspondencebetween the input character sequence and final character sequence.Specifically, the candidate table is updated so that, when prospectivecharacter sequences with respect to the current input character sequenceare to be displayed the next time, the currently-selected finalcharacter sequence will be displayed as the most prospective charactersequence (i.e., so as to be displayed in the first place).

[0063] Now, a specific instance of the progress of the processing shownin FIG. 5 will be described while illustrating how the displayed screenmay transition. FIG. 6 to FIG. 9 are diagrams illustrating exemplaryimages displayed when the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 areperformed. In the following descriptions of FIG. 6 to FIG. 9, it isassumed that the candidate table has the content as shown in FIG. 3 atthe start of the processing, and that the user inputs an input charactersequence “

(ai)”.

[0064] First, when the user inputs “

(a)”, the displayed screen 401 will be a shown in FIG. 4. When the usersubsequently inputs “

(i)”, the input character sequence “

(ai)” and prospective character sequences corresponding thereto aredisplayed, resulting in a displayed screen 401 as shown in FIG. 6. InFIG. 6, “

(a1)” and “

(ai)” are displayed in the first and second places, respectively, inaccordance with the order described in the candidate table. It can beseen that the cursor 404 is pointing to “

(ai)” in FIG. 6. Next, when the user moves the cursor 404 to “

(ai)”, the displayed screen 401 will appear as shown in FIG. 7.Furthermore, if the user selects “

(ai)” as the final character sequence, the displayed screen will appearas shown in FIG. 8. It is herein assumed that the input charactersequence is underlined, whereas the final character sequence (i.e.,accomplished text) is not accompanied by an underline. It is furtherassumed that the candidate area 403 is not displayed unless an inputcharacter sequence is input. If the learning mode has been set prior toperforming the operations illustrated in FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, the candidatetable is updated when the user selects “

(ai)” as the final character sequence. In other words, “

(ai)” and “

(a1)”, respectively, now become the first and second prospectivecharacter sequences corresponding to the input character sequence “

(ai)”. Accordingly, when the input character sequence “

(ai)” is generated next time, the displayed screen will appear as shownin FIG. 9. On the other hand, if the non-learning mode has been setprior to performing the operations illustrated in FIG. 6 to FIG. 9, thecandidate table is not updated; therefore, when the input charactersequence “

(ai)” is generated next time, the displayed screen will remain the sameas it was in the previous time, i.e., as shown in FIG. 6.

[0065] Thus, according to Embodiment 1, whether or not to performlearning (i.e., updating of the candidate table) can be determined basedon environment information. Therefore, according to Embodiment 1,updating of the candidate table is performed only when updating isdetermined as necessary in light of the environment concerning the textediting assistor itself.

[0066] Specifically, in the case where the environment information istime information indicating a current time, rules may be set in thedetermination section 104 such that updating of the candidate table isto be performed if the current time is in the daytime, but not to beperformed if the current time is in the nighttime, for example. As aresult, character sequences which are selected as final charactersequences in the daytime will be displayed as highly prospectivecharacter sequences. On the other hand, character sequences which areselected as final character sequences in the nighttime will not affectthe order in which prospective character sequences are displayed. Thus,the candidate table will only reflect text editing which is performedduring the daytime. In the case where the user is likely to use the textediting assistor for business purposes in the day time but for privatepurposes in the nighttime, for example, the candidate table will onlyreflect text editing which is performed for business purposes. As aresult, the efficiency of text input operations which are performed forbusiness purposes can be enhanced.

[0067] In the case where the environment information is positioninformation indicating a current position, rules may be set in thedetermination section 104 such that updating of the candidate table isto be performed if the current position is in the neighborhood of theuser's workplace, but not to be performed if the current position is inthe neighborhood of user's home, for example. This will also make itpossible to determine whether or not to update the candidate tabledepending on whether the text editing assistor is being used forbusiness purposes or for private purposes, so that similar effects tothose obtained in the case where the environment information is acurrent time can be obtained.

[0068] In the case where the environment information is applicationinformation indicating an application which is being executed by thetext editing assistor for handling text editing, it becomes possible togenerate a candidate table which reflects text editing which isperformed only on a predetermined application.

[0069] Alternatively, the environment information maybe stateinformation indicating a state of an application which handles textediting. As used herein, “state information” may be, for example,information indicating a particular text editing function of anapplication having a plurality of functions. More specifically, stateinformation may be information indicating either function of anapplication having a mail function and a schedule function. For example,rules may be set in the determination section 104 such that updating ofthe candidate table is to be performed if the state information asenvironment information indicates the mail function, but not to beperformed if the state information indicates the schedule function. As aresult, it becomes possible to generate a candidate table which onlyreflects text editing which is performed using the mail function.

[0070] In the case where the application is a mailer, the stateinformation may be information indicating an addressee of mail. As aresult, it becomes possible to generate a candidate table which onlyreflects editing of mail that is directed to a particular person(addressee).

[0071] Furthermore, according to Embodiment 1, the user can edit thecontent of the candidate table. Specifically, the user can delete a pairof an input character sequence and a prospective character sequence, orchange the priority order of prospective character sequences in thecandidate table. Hereinafter, the processes which are performed by thetext editing assistor during an editing of the content of the candidatetable will be described.

[0072]FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processes performedduring an editing of the content of the candidate table. The processshown in FIG. 10 may begin in response to, for example, an instructionfrom the user to edit the content of the candidate table (hereinafter an“editing instruction”). It is assumed that the processing shown in FIG.10 is ended when the user instructs ending of the editing. In FIG. 10,the processes of steps S11 to S14 are similar to the processes of stepsS2 to S5 shown in FIG. 4, and any detailed description thereof isomitted.

[0073] At step S15, the text editing section 103 determines whether theuser has given an editing instruction or not. Specifically, the textediting section 103 waits for an inputting of an editing instructionfrom the user. If such an input is made, the text editing section 103determines that an editing instruction has been given; thereafter, theprocess of step S16 is performed. On the other hand, if no suchinstruction is input, but a character sequence is input instead, thetext editing section 103 determines that an editing instruction is notbeing given; thereafter, the process of step S11 is performed.

[0074] At step S16, the text editing section 103 determines whether theediting instruction given at step S15 is a deletion instruction or not(note that Embodiment 1 assumes two types of editing instructions: adeletion instruction and an order change instruction). If the editinginstruction given at step S15 is a deletion instruction, the textediting section 103 deletes from the displayed screen 401 a prospectivecharacter sequence specified by the user at step S17. At this time, theprospective character sequence is also deleted from the candidate table.The user can designate a prospective character sequence to be deleted bymoving the cursor 404 shown in FIG. 4 and the like. After S17, theprocess of step S11 is performed.

[0075] On the other hand, if the editing instruction given at step S15is an order change instruction, the text editing section 103 changes thepriority order of the prospective character sequences designated by theuser at step S18. The user can designate a prospective charactersequence whose priority ranking is to be changed by moving the cursor404 shown in FIG. 4 and the like. Furthermore, the user gives aninstruction to move up the priority ranking of the designatedprospective character sequence or an instruction to move down thepriority ranking of the designated prospective character sequence,thereby changing the priority order of the prospective charactersequences. At this time, the priority ranking of the prospectivecharacter sequence as stored in the candidate table is also changed.After S18, the process of step S11 is performed.

[0076] Now, a specific instance of the progress of the processing shownin FIG. 10 will be described while illustrating how the displayed screenmay transition. FIG. 11 to FIG. 13 are diagrams illustrating exemplaryimages displayed when the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10are performed. In the following descriptions of FIG. 11 to FIG. 13, itis assumed that the candidate table has the content as shown in FIG. 3at the start of the processing.

[0077]FIG. 11 shows an exemplary displayed screen displayed when theuser has input an input character sequence “

(a)” (step S14 in FIG. 10). As shown in FIG. 11, three prospectivecharacter sequences corresponding to the input character sequence “

(a)” are displayed. In FIG. 11, in accordance with the content of thecandidate table as shown in FIG. 3, “

(a)”, “

(a)”, and “

(a)” are displayed in the first, second, and third places, respectively.

[0078] First, it is assumed that the user has given a deletioninstruction to delete the prospective character sequence “

(a)”. The user operates the cursor 404 (which will not need to be movedin the exemplary image shown in FIG. 11), and makes an input to give adeletion instruction with the cursor 404 pointing to “

(a)”. Thus, the prospective character sequence “

(a)” is deleted from the candidate table. As shown in FIG. 12, theprospective character sequence “

(a)” is also deleted from the displayed screen 401.

[0079] Next, it is assumed that the user has given an order changeinstruction for the prospective character sequence “

(a)”. The user moves the cursor 404, and makes an input to give an orderchange instruction with the cursor 404 pointing to “

(a)”. Furthermore, the user gives an instruction to move up the priorityranking of the designated prospective character sequence, therebychanging the priority order of the prospective character sequences. As aresult, the priority ranking of this prospective character sequence asstored in the candidate table is also changed. Consequently, as shown inFIG. 13, the prospective character sequence “

(a)” is displayed in the first place in the displayed screen 401.

[0080] Thus, according to Embodiment 1, the user is allowed to edit thecandidate table, which makes it possible to generate a candidate tablewhich reflects the desire of the user.

[0081] (Embodiment 2)

[0082] Next, a text editing assistor according to Embodiment 2 will bedescribed. The text editing assistor according to Embodiment 2 includesa plurality of candidate tables, and employs different candidate tablesin accordance with the environment information.

[0083]FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram illustrating the textediting assistor according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 14 is identical to FIG.2 except that two candidate tables, i.e., first and second candidatetables, are stored in the table storing section 202. The hardwarestructure of the text editing assistor according to Embodiment 2 is thesame as that according to Embodiment 1, and the descriptions thereof areomitted.

[0084] In FIG. 14, it is assumed that the first candidate table has thecontent as shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 15 shows an exemplary second candidatetable stored in the table storing section 202. As seen from FIG. 3 andFIG. 15, associations between input character sequences and prospectivecharacter sequences are made differently between the first candidatetable and the second candidate table. One of the two candidate tables isused depending on the content of the environment information.

[0085] Next, a flow of processes performed by the text editing assistoraccording to Embodiment 2 will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchartillustrating a flow of processes performed by the text editing assistoraccording to Embodiment 2. A program for causing the CPU 1 to performthe processes shown in FIG. 16 is stored in the ROM 6 of the textediting assistor. Hereinafter, the processing shown in FIG. 16 will bedescribed with respect to differences from the processing shown in FIG.5.

[0086] The timing of beginning the processing shown in FIG. 16 issimilar to that for the processing shown in FIG. 5. First, at step S21,a candidate table to be used for presenting prospective charactersequences for an input character sequence is determined. Since there aretwo candidate tables in Embodiment 2, the determination section 104selects either one of the first and second candidate tables.Specifically, the text editing section 103 first instructs thedetermination section 104 to determine a candidate table. Havingreceived this instruction from the text editing section 103, thedetermination section 104 instructs the environment informationacquisition section 105 to acquire environment information. In responseto the instruction from the determination section 104, the environmentinformation acquisition section 105 acquires environment information,and passes it to the determination section 104. Based on the environmentinformation received from the environment information acquisitionsection 105, the determination section 104 determines a candidate tableto be used for presenting prospective character sequences. At the timewhen step S1 is performed, a screen on which to allow the user to inputtext (see FIG. 4) is displayed on the output section 3.

[0087] The process of steps S22 to S28 are similar to the processes ofsteps S2 to S8 shown in FIG. 5, except that the candidate table to besearched at step S23 and the candidate table to be updated at S28 arethe candidate table determined at step S21.

[0088] Thus, according to Embodiment 2, the candidate table to be usedfor presenting prospective character sequences is switched depending onthe environment information. As a result, candidate tables which areadapted to as many different environments as there are candidate tablescan be generated.

[0089]FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary image ofprospective character sequences displayed in the case where the firstcandidate table is used. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an exemplaryimage of prospective character sequences displayed in the case where thesecond candidate table is used. Between FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, differentprospective character sequences are displayed for the same inputcharacter sequence “

(ai)”. Thus, according to Embodiment 2, it is possible to generatecandidate tables adapted to a plurality of environments by using aplurality of candidate tables. This improves the efficiency of textinput operations performed by the user in the case where a plurality ofenvironments exist.

[0090] For example, in the case where the environment information is theaforementioned time information, the candidate table may be switcheddepending on whether the current time falls in the daytime or thenighttime. Mores specifically, a candidate table reflecting work-relatedcharacter conversions may be used if the current time falls in thedaytime, whereas a candidate table reflecting non-work-related characterconversions may be used if the current time falls in the nighttime. As aresult, one of the candidate tables is customized so as to suit businesspurposes, whereas the other candidate table is customized so as to suitprivate purposes. Therefore, the efficiency of text input operations canbe improved both in the case of using the text editing assistor forbusiness purposes and in the case of using it for private purposes.

[0091] In Embodiment 2, the environment information may be positioninformation, application information, or state information, instead oftime information, as is the case with Embodiment 1. Although Embodiment2 illustrates an example where there are two candidate tables, three ormore candidate tables may be employed. Therefore, in the case where theenvironment information is application information, candidate tableswhich are adapted for the respective applications can be generated bypreparing as many candidate tables as there are applications.

[0092] In Embodiments 1 and 2, the determination as to whether or not toperform learning at steps S7 and S27 is made based only on environmentinformation. In other embodiments, the determination concerning learningmay be made also in accordance with the method of selecting a finalcharacter sequence. Specifically, two kinds of methods for selecting afinal character sequence may be provided, e.g., if the input section 2includes a plurality of buttons, first and second buttons may beassigned to respectively different methods of selecting a finalcharacter sequence. In this case, it may be ensured that the candidatetable is updated if the selection of a final character sequence is madeby means of the first button, but not if the selection of a finalcharacter sequence is made by means of the second button. Such astructure will enable the user to manually make the determination as towhether or not to update the candidate table, which is illustrated asbeing automatically made in Embodiments 1 and 2.

[0093] In other embodiments, the determination as to whether or not toupdate the candidate table may be made based solely on theaforementioned two kinds of methods for selecting a final charactersequence, without relying on the environment information. As a result,the switching between updating and not updating the candidate table canbe made more easily than in the case where either a learning mode and anon-learning mode must be set in advance. In other words, such switchingcan be performed by the user each time a final character sequence isselected.

[0094] Although Embodiments 1 and 2 illustrate examples where theprospective character sequences are conversion candidate charactersequences, the present invention is also applicable to the case wherethe prospective character sequences are prediction candidate charactersequences. FIG. 19 shows an exemplary candidate table which associatesinput character sequences and prediction candidate character sequences.In each row of FIG. 19, the first character of a given input charactersequence is associated with character sequences which begin with thatcharacter. For example, if the input character sequence “

(a)” is input, the prospective character sequences which are associatedwith “

(a)” in the candidate table are presented in the order as indicated bytheir numbers. Furthermore, if the input character sequence grows into “

(ai)”, only those character sequences whose first two characters are “

(ai)” are selected from among the prospective character sequencesassociated with “

(a)” in the candidate table, so as to be presented as prospectivecharacter sequences in the order of priority as indicated by theirnumbers. Thus, the present invention is indifferent as to whether theprospective character sequences are conversion candidate charactersequences or prediction candidate character sequences. Moreover, thepresent invention is indifferent as to the data structure of thecandidate table or the method of presenting prospective charactersequences.

[0095] In Embodiments 1 and 2, the text editing assistor may comprise adictionary table in addition to the candidate table. A dictionary tableis a table which is referred to when an input character sequence is notfound in the candidate table. It is commonplace to internalize such adictionary table in a text editing assistor.

[0096] Furthermore, in Embodiments 1 and 2 above, the text editingassistor may comprise an inhibited sequence table in addition to thecandidate table. An inhibited sequence table is a table associating eachinput character sequence with “inhibited character sequences”, i.e.,character sequences which are not to be presented as prospectivecharacter sequences for that input character sequence. Specifically,when the character sequence conversion section 101 searches thecandidate table at steps S3 and S4 shown in FIG. 5, it pretends that anyassociation between the input character sequence and an inhibitedcharacter sequence stored in the inhibited sequence table is notcontained in the candidate table. Therefore, at step S5, any pair of aninput character sequence and a prospective character sequence containedin the candidate table that is also contained in the inhibited sequencetable is excluded from the prospective character sequences to bepresented. Thus, by providing an inhibited sequence table, an effectsimilar to deleting an association between the input character sequenceand the prospective character sequence from the candidate table can beobtained. By providing an inhibited sequence table, it becomes possibleto prevent the displaying of character sequences which would beinconvenient for the user if displayed as prospective charactersequences. Note that the inhibited sequence table may be editable by theuser. The inhibited sequence table is preferably protected so that itcannot be viewed by any other user. Furthermore, the candidate table andinhibited sequence table may be acquired from outside of the textediting assistor, e.g., via the Internet.

[0097] While the invention has been described in detail, the foregoingdescription is in all aspects illustrative and not restrictive. It isunderstood that numerous other modifications and variations can bedevised without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A text editing assistor for displaying aprospective character sequence based on a character sequence which isinput by a user, comprising: a table storing section for storing acandidate table which associates one or more prospective charactersequences with a given character sequence; a candidate displayingsection for displaying, in response to a character sequence which isinput by the user, at least one prospective character sequence which isassociated by the candidate table with the character sequence which hasbeen input by the user; a character sequence finalization section forallowing the user to select one of the at least one prospectivecharacter sequence displayed by the candidate displaying section as afinal character sequence; an environment information acquisition sectionfor acquiring environment information concerning the text editingassistor or an environment thereof; a determination section for, when afinal character sequence is selected by means of the character sequencefinalization section, determining whether or not to update the candidatetable based on the environment information; and a first updating sectionfor updating the candidate table based on an association between thefinal character sequence selected by means of the character sequencefinalization section and the character sequence which has been input bythe user, the update being made only when the determination sectiondetermines that the candidate table is to be updated.
 2. The textediting assistor according to claim 1, wherein, the environmentinformation acquisition section acquires information indicating acurrent time as the environment information, and the determinationsection determines whether or not to update the candidate table based onthe information indicating the current time.
 3. The text editingassistor according to claim 1, wherein, the environment informationacquisition section acquires information indicating a current positionof the text editing assistor as the environment information, and thedetermination section determines whether or not to update the candidatetable based on the information indicating the current position.
 4. Thetext editing assistor according to claim 1, wherein, the environmentinformation acquisition section acquires information indicating a typeof application which accepts an inputting of a character sequence as theenvironment information, and the determination section determineswhether or not to update the candidate table based on the informationindicating the type of the application.
 5. The text editing assistoraccording to claim 1, wherein the environment information acquisitionsection acquires information indicating a state of an application whichaccepts an inputting of a character sequence as the environmentinformation, and the determination section determines whether or not toupdate the candidate table based on the information indicating the stateof the application.
 6. The text editing assistor according to claim 1,further comprising: an input accepting section which accepts at leasttwo kinds of input methods for inputting a selection of a finalcharacter sequence by means of the character sequence finalizationsection; and a second updating section operable to update the candidatetable based on the association between the final character sequenceselected by means of the character sequence finalization section and thecharacter sequence which has been input by the user when the inputaccepting section accepts a selection of the final character sequence bythe first input method, and not update the candidate table when theinput accepting section accepts a selection of the final charactersequence by a second input method which is different from the firstinput method.
 7. The text editing assistor according to claim 1 furthercomprising: a designation section for allowing the user to designate anassociation between a character sequence and a prospective charactersequence in the candidate table, and a deletion section for deletingfrom the candidate table the association between the character sequenceand the prospective character sequence designated by means of thedesignation section.
 8. The text editing assistor according to claim 1,wherein, the candidate table associates a plurality of prospectivecharacter sequences, in an order of being displayed by the candidatedisplaying section, with a given character sequence, the text editingassistor further comprising: a changing section for changing the orderof the prospective character sequences associated by the candidate tablewith the given character sequence.
 9. The text editing assistoraccording to claim 1, wherein, the table storing section further storesan inhibited sequence table which associates one or more inhibitedcharacter sequences with a given character sequence, the inhibitedcharacter sequences being inhibited from being displayed as prospectivecharacter sequences, and the candidate displaying section displays, inresponse to the character sequence which is input by the user, at leastone prospective character sequence which is associated by the candidatetable with the character sequence which has been input by the user,excluding the inhibited character sequence(s) associated by theinhibited sequence table with the character sequence which has beeninput by the user.
 10. A text editing assistor for displaying aprospective character sequence based on a character sequence which isinput by a user, comprising: a table storing section for storing aplurality of candidate tables each of which associates one or moreprospective character sequences with a given character sequence, eachcandidate table containing a different set of such associations; anenvironment information acquisition section for acquiring environmentinformation concerning the text editing assistor or an environmentthereof; a table determination section for determining one of theplurality of candidate tables stored in the table storing section basedon the environment information acquired by the environment informationacquisition section; a candidate displaying section for displaying, inresponse to a character sequence which is input by the user, at leastone prospective character sequence which is associated by the candidatetable determined by the table determination section with the charactersequence which has been input by the user; a character sequencefinalization section for allowing the user to select one of the at leastone prospective character sequence displayed by the candidate displayingsection as a final character sequence; and a first updating section forupdating the candidate table determined by the table determinationsection based on an association between the final character sequenceselected by means of the character sequence finalization section and thecharacter sequence which has been input by the user.
 11. The textediting assistor according to claim 10, wherein, the environmentinformation acquisition section acquires information indicating acurrent time as the environment information, and the table determinationsection determines one of the plurality of candidate tables stored inthe table storing section based on the information indicating thecurrent time.
 12. The text editing assistor according to claim 10,wherein, the environment information acquisition section acquiresinformation indicating a current position of the text editing assistoras the environment information, and the table determination sectiondetermines one of the plurality of candidate tables stored in the tablestoring section based on the information indicating the currentposition.
 13. The text editing assistor according to claim 10, wherein,the environment information acquisition section acquires informationindicating a type of application which accepts an inputting of acharacter sequence as the environment information, and the tabledetermination section determines one of the plurality of candidatetables stored in the table storing section based on the informationindicating the type of the application.
 14. The text editing assistoraccording to claim 10, wherein the environment information acquisitionsection acquires information indicating a state of an application whichaccepts an inputting of a character sequence as the environmentinformation, and the table determination section determines one of theplurality of candidate tables stored in the table storing section basedon the information indicating the state of the application.
 15. The textediting assistor according to claim 10, further comprising: an inputaccepting section which accepts at least two kinds of input methods forinputting a selection of a final character sequence by means of thecharacter sequence finalization section; and a second updating sectionoperable to update the candidate table determined by the tabledetermination section based on the association between the finalcharacter sequence selected by means of the character sequencefinalization section and the character sequence which has been input bythe user when the input accepting section accepts a selection of thefinal character sequence by the first input method, and not update thecandidate table when the input accepting section accepts a selection ofthe final character sequence by a second input method which is differentfrom the first input method.
 16. The text editing assistor according toclaim 10, wherein, the table storing section further stores an inhibitedsequence table which associates one or more inhibited charactersequences with a given character sequence, the inhibited charactersequences being inhibited from being displayed as prospective charactersequences, and the candidate displaying section displays, in response tothe character sequence which is input by the user, at least oneprospective character sequence which is associated by the candidatetable with the character sequence which has been input by the user,excluding the inhibited character sequence(s) associated by theinhibited sequence table with the character sequence which has beeninput by the user.
 17. A program to be executed by a computer in a textediting assistor for displaying a prospective character sequence basedon a character sequence which is input by a user, the text editingassistor comprising a table storing section for storing a candidatetable which associates one or more prospective character sequences witha given character sequence, wherein the program causes the computer toexecute: a candidate displaying step of displaying, in response to acharacter sequence which is input by the user, at least one prospectivecharacter sequence which is associated by the candidate table with thecharacter sequence which has been input by the user; a charactersequence finalization step of allowing the user to select one of the atleast one prospective character sequence displayed in the candidatedisplaying step as a final character sequence; an environmentinformation acquisition step of acquiring environment informationconcerning the text editing assistor or an environment thereof; adetermination step for, when a final character sequence is selected inthe character sequence finalization step, determining whether or not toupdate the candidate table based on the environment information; and afirst updating step of updating the candidate table based on anassociation between the final character sequence selected in thecharacter sequence finalization step and the character sequence whichhas been input by the user, the update being made only when thedetermination step determines that the candidate table is to be updated.18. A program to be executed by a computer in a text editing assistorfor displaying a prospective character sequence based on a charactersequence which is input by a user, the text editing assistor comprisinga table storing section for storing a plurality of candidate tables eachof which associates one or more prospective character sequences with agiven character sequence, each candidate table containing a differentset of such associations, wherein the program causes the computer toexecute: an environment information acquisition step of acquiringenvironment information concerning the text editing assistor or anenvironment thereof; a table determination step of determining one ofthe plurality of candidate tables stored in the table storing sectionbased on the environment information acquired in the environmentinformation acquisition step; a candidate displaying step of displaying,in response to a character sequence which is input by the user, at leastone prospective character sequence which is associated by the candidatetable determined in the table determination step with the charactersequence which has been input by the user; a character sequencefinalization step of allowing the user to select one of the at least oneprospective character sequence displayed in the candidate displayingstep as a final character sequence; and a first updating step ofupdating the candidate table determined in the table determination stepbased on an association between the final character sequence selected inthe character sequence finalization step and the character sequencewhich has been input by the user.
 19. A method for use with a textediting assistor for displaying a prospective character sequence basedon a character sequence which is input by a user, the text editingassistor comprising a table storing section for storing a candidatetable which associates one or more prospective character sequences witha given character sequence, wherein the method comprises: a candidatedisplaying step of displaying, in response to a character sequence whichis input by the user, at least one prospective character sequence whichis associated by the candidate table with the character sequence whichhas been input by the user; a character sequence finalization step ofallowing the user to select one of the at least one prospectivecharacter sequence displayed in the candidate displaying step as a finalcharacter sequence; an environment information acquisition step ofacquiring environment information concerning the text editing assistoror an environment thereof; a determination step for, when a finalcharacter sequence is selected in the character sequence finalizationstep, determining whether or not to update the candidate table based onthe environment information; and a first updating step of updating thecandidate table based on an association between the final charactersequence selected in the character sequence finalization step and thecharacter sequence which has been input by the user, the update beingmade only when the determination step determines that the candidatetable is to be updated.
 20. A method for use with a text editingassistor for displaying a prospective character sequence based on acharacter sequence which is input by a user, the text editing assistorcomprising a table storing section for storing a plurality of candidatetables each of which associates one or more prospective charactersequences with a given character sequence, each candidate tablecontaining a different set of such associations, wherein the methodcomprises: an environment information acquisition step of acquiringenvironment information concerning the text editing assistor or anenvironment thereof; a table determination step of determining one ofthe plurality of candidate tables stored in the table storing sectionbased on the environment information acquired in the environmentinformation acquisition step; a candidate displaying step of displaying,in response to a character sequence which is input by the user, at leastone prospective character sequence which is associated by the candidatetable determined in the table determination step with the charactersequence which has been input by the user; a character sequencefinalization step of allowing the user to select one of the at least oneprospective character sequence displayed in the candidate displayingstep as a final character sequence; and a first updating step ofupdating the candidate table determined in the table determination stepbased on an association between the final character sequence selected inthe character sequence finalization step and the character sequencewhich has been input by the user.